Former NFL WR Johnnie Morton gets KTFO'd!

I just got home from tonight's K-1 "Dynamite!! USA" mixed martial arts event and Johnnie Morton had a rough time of it. At the end of his introduction video, Morton says "I'm Johnnie Morton and I'm an MMA fighter!"
Well, it appears his MMA career is going to span approximately 38 seconds as he was knocked clean out by journeyman MMA fighter Bernard Ackah. I know Morton had been training for quite a while, but he appeared too anxious and tried to rush his opponent, who caught him clean on the jaw. Morton laid on the mat for about 10 minutes before being stretchered out. Looks like he got a reality check.
Also, former pro wrestler and NCAA champion Brock Lesnar made his debut and won pretty convincingly. He was able to take his opponent down to the mat rather quickly, which wasn't surprising at all considering his amateur wrestling background, but he looked very comfortable throwing punches, which was a bit of a surprise. He's really raw, but definitely has all the tools to be a star in the sport.

The former USC and NFL receiver is knocked out in his mixed martial arts debut, is hospitalized, then refuses drug test.

By Steve Springer, Times Staff Writer
June 3, 2007

Former USC and NFL receiver Johnny Morton suffered a devastating, first-round knockout in his mixed martial arts debut Saturday night at the Coliseum, was taken to a hospital for observation and then refused to supply a urine sample for drug testing.

Morton has been suspended, according to Armando Garcia, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission.

Morton was unavailable for comment.

In the two featured bouts of the night, Royce Gracie (14-3-3) avenged his loss to Kazushi Sakuraba (21-10-1) seven years ago by winning an unanimous decision in a three-round middleweight match, and super-heavyweight Brock Lesnar, in his pro debut, beat Min Soo Kim (2-6) at the 1:09 mark of the first round of a scheduled three-rounder when Kim tapped out after repeated strikes.

Kim proved a poor substitute for Hong Man Choi, Lesnar's original opponent, who failed to pass his physical.

The Gracie-Sakuraba match featured little action, drawing heavy boos from the crowd, which was estimated at 54,000 by promoters.

Several other officials, including Garcia and promoter Gary Shaw, estimated it at closer to 20,000 to 30,000.

That would include complimentary tickets.

Morton, 35, was taken by ambulance to California Hospital for observation after being knocked out 38 seconds into his match against Bernard Ackah.

"He is fine, alert and everything is moving normally. Obviously he is disappointed," Garcia said after receiving the report on Morton's examination and before learning of his refusal to submit to a drug test.

Facing Ackah, a fighter from the Ivory Coast who was in his second pro match after winning his debut by knockout, Morton walked into a right hand that landed on his left temple, sending him crashing to canvas so forcefully that his head bounced off the surface.

Morton, apparently unconscious when medical personnel got to him, was placed in a neck splint and put on a stretcher.

But by the time he was carried out of the ring, he had recovered enough to flash the victory sign to the appreciative crowd.

"How many people who would do what he did," said Mike Guymon, Morton's trainer, "stepping into the NFL of MMA and putting it all on the line?"

Morton trained for two months for this fight. Was that long enough, Guymon, an MMA fighter himself, was asked.

"When you want to jump into something, you jump into something," he said. "I've been fighting for 10 years and I still don't feel like I'm prepared."

Said Ackah of Morton, "He needs more experience."

The event was promoted by Fighting Entertainment Group, a Japanese company, and included fighters promoted by ProElite, and shown for the first hour on Showtime, with the remainder of the card on pay-per-view.

Sadaharu Tanikawa, chief executive of FEG, said at a Friday news conference that he had sold 100,000 tickets, but wasn't sure how many people would show up.

Shaw, promoter for ProElite, said anything smaller than a crowd of 20,000 would be a disappointment.

"Personally," he said, referring to the Coliseum, "I prefer arenas. I like the closeness, the intimacy, but that's just me. I think this particular venue is too cavernous."

The pay-per-view portion of the show began on a farcical note, with a parade of figures carrying a torch around the Coliseum and up the hallowed steps to where the Olympic torch has twice been lit in this historic building.

But instead of Rafer Johnson, the star of this show was Dennis Rodman, for reasons known only to the promoters.

No surprise that Lesnar weighed about 30 lbs. lighter than his WWE days.

Hey, I give Johnny Morton credit -- he actually got in the ring. What he found out is that NFL 'tough guy' stuff does not follow the transitive principle: You actually have to have skills to compete in these events, not just lift weights and look good. It doesn't work like that.

To me, that's a good thing. This helps to legitimize the sport of MMA. You can't just step in the arena and be good if you're a good athlete. These guys are skilled. The reason why Lesnar can 'hang' is because he was an elite D-1 wrestler. Wrestling is a 'combat' sport; football is not.

So while I feel bad for Morton personally, this is good for the sport. A 'barrier to entry' has been more established. This isn't 'Toughman,' so you better have some skills.